Situational diagnosis of the cacaoat industry in Chone through the value chain in Ecuador

Investigation article

Abstract

Cocoa has historically played a very important role in the economy of Ecuador. Not only does it represent heritage and development, but it is also part of the Ecuadorian identity, since years ago the country has been recognized as the largest producer of fine aroma cacao, currently being the largest supplier worldwide. And Chone has been part of its development, as a vast amount of cocoa has been harvested on its land for exportation. However, currently little added value is being given to cocoa production, which is why there’s the necessity of designing infrastructures for its processing based on the minimum requirements of the value chain that requires a departmentalization of spaces. This work identifies the problems related to the collection, processing and distribution of cocoa, evidencing the state of the collection centers in Chone, in order to determine if their production reaches the necessary capacity to industrialize, generating elaborated matter that promotes both the economy of your locality, like that of the country. For which the work is carried out following the bibliographic compilation scheme that allows to identify the essential criteria of empirical observation in the diagnosis of the research, and finally to specify the necessary mechanisms for the technification of the cocoa treatment in this area.

Keywords: Cocoa, Chone, collection center, cacao production, added value, value chain.